TNAG-1413-FCO40-1889-Future-of-Hong-Kong-annual-report-to-Parliament-on-Hong-Kong-1985 — Page 227

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(A)

16.

(NEXT TWO WORDS UNDERLINED) DISTRICT BOARDS

WHILE A REPRESENTATIVE SYSTEM OF LOCALLY ELECTED ELDERS AND

COUNCILS SERVING THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION OF THE NEW TERRITORIES, UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF THE HEUNG YEE KUK, HAD EXISTED

FOR MANY YEARS, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT, IN THE LATE 1970S,

SOUGHT TO INTRODUCE MORE BROADLY BASED POPULAR PARTICIPATION IN

GOVERNMENT AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL, TO FILL THE GAP IN CONSULTATION BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE RESIDENTS OF THE NEW TOWNS. FOLLOWING A TRIAL PERIOD WITH DISTRICT ADVISORY BOARDS IN THE 8 ADMINISTRATIVE DISTRICTS IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, AND CITY

DISTRICT COMMITTEES IN THE 10 URBAN DISTRICTS, DISTRICT BOARDS IN

THE NEW TERRITORIES BECAME STATUTORY BODIES IN APRIL 1982. URBAN

DISTRICT BOARDS BECAME STATUTORY SIX MONTHS LATER. THE BOARDS'

MEMBERSHIP COMPRISED MEMBERS ELECTED BY CONSTITUENCIES, APPOINTED UNOFFICIAL MEMBERS, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AND EITHER URBAN COUNCILLORS OR CHAIRMEN OF NEW TERRITORIES RURAL COMMITTEES. THEY HAD MAINLY AN ADVISORY ROLE, WITH SOME RESPONSIBILITY FOR

THE MANAGEMENT OF DISTRICT AFFAIRS.

(PARAS 17-21 AS PARAS 15-19 OF HONG KONG DRAFT.)

(D)

22.

IN

(NEXT TWO WORDS UNDERLINED) LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

THESE REFORMS CONSIDERABLY ENHANCED REPRESENTATIVE

GOVERNMENT AT BOTH THE DISTRICT, URBAN AND REGIONAL LEVEL. NOVEMBER 1984, HAVING SOUGHT AND RECEIVED PUBLIC COMMENT ON PROPOSALS CONTAINED IN A GREEN PAPER, THE HONG KONG GOVERNMENT PUBLISHED A WHITE PAPER SETTING OUT THE STEPS TO BE TAKEN IN 1985 TO DEVELOP REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT AT THE CENTRAL LEVEL. THE

PROPOSALS IN THE WHITE PAPER WERE ENDORSED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL IN JANUARY 1985. THE PRINCIPAL REFORMS CONCERNED THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, TO WHICH 24 MEMBERS WOULD BE CHOSEN FOR THE FIRST TIME BY INDIRECT ELECTIONS: 12 WERE TO BE ELECTED BY

ELECTORAL COLLEGES COMPRISING ALL MEMBERS OF THE DISTRICT BOARDS,

THE URBAN COUNCIL AND THE NEW REGIONAL COUNCIL, AND 12 BY

SPECIFIC FUNCTIONAL CONSTITUENCIES COVERING THE MAJOR SECTORS OF

THE COMMUNITY. TOTAL MEMBERSHIP OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL WAS

INCREASED FROM 46 TO 56 MEMBERS, WITH OFFICIAL MEMBERSHIP

DECREASING FROM 16 TO 10, AND UNOFFICIAL APPOINTED MEMBERSHIP

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DECREASING.